Fireplace front



Feb. 10, 1953 C. C. HELWIG FIREPLACE FRONT Filed July 5, 1949 owwonInventor by 'CSLIF ORD. CLW

Carney.

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIREPLACE FRONTApplication July 5, 1949, Serial No. 102,970

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a fireplace front andappertains particularly to a fixture combining a fire screen and foldingdoor assembly.

An object of the invention is to provide a perlnianent yet 11n-attachedfireplace front that 'will fit snugly against the face of :an `open-typelirepl-ace, framing the opening thereof, affording ready access to thegrate basket for fueling and cleaning, providing protection againstflying sparks or unfriendly flames, resisting accidental displacementand, when the doors are closed, enhancing the beauty of the fireplacewhile shutting off `drafty currents of escaping warm air that normallysweep up the chimney.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined sectionalizedfire screen and foldable door closure embodying novel and improvedstructural details that add to the utility, convenience andattractiveness of an open fireplace.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fixture,of the nature and for the purposes described, that is characterized bystructural simplicity, durability, compactness and efficiency and being-capable of production and sale at reasonable cost is thereby ren-deredcommercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as -shall becomeapparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall behereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly ydescribedwhen reference is had to the drawings forming ,a part of this disclosurewherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a possible embodiment of the inventionapplied to a conventional iireplace, the outer ydoors being shown inclosed position;

Figure 2 is .a similar front elevation with the outer doors folded back,as in open position;

Figure 3 is a transverse, horizontal section through the fireplace andiixture; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail throug-h the fixture.

The conventional 4open-'type fireplace I shown in the dra-wings is seento consist of a hearth 2, fireplace opening 3, and fire chamber orbasket recess 4.

The novel fixture herein disclosed comprises a (Cl. 1GO- 117) base plate5 designed to rest on the hearth 2 with a frame that surrounds thefireplace opening 3 and fits snugly :against the face of the fireplacel. The frame lis composed of a pair of opposite side posts -E an-d anarrower top bar 'I joining the upper ends of the posts. A decorativehood or plate 8 surmounts the to-p 'bar 1. To compensate for slope `ofthe hearth 2 and yassure that the frame abuts the fireplace face inIclose fitting parallel relation, the base plate 5 has a transverselyspaced pair of adjustable set-screw-like bolts 9 threaded therethroughto engage the surface of the hearth and by the rotation of which theplumb of the upright frame can be Varied to suit. These adjustable boltsare preferably embellished with a decorative notch such as the ball topslil to match a similar decoration Il on the hood or top lplate 8.

Supported by the `rectangular 'fr-ame is a secti-onalized lire screencomp-rising :a pair :of doors lof gate-like sections l2 of wire meshscreen outlined `with a rod or Iother reinforcing edge I3. These twoscreen doors l2 `are hingedly connected to the confronting inner facesof the frame posts -B and have their upper edges overlapping thenarrower top bar 1. The screen doors meet at the lcenter of thefireplace opening when closed and are normally fastened by .aconventional catch M. They do not reach to the bottom of the fireplacebut terminate well above the base 'plate 5 so that they may clear thetop of the ball top bolts 9 when swung open as for fueling. The bottomhorizontal strip :of the fixture frame is closed in by a removable,elongated, rectangular screen section l5 that rests in U-shaped channelsIB secured to the opposite inner faces of the frame posts E and areinclined outwardly slightly at the top to permit this screen section l5to 'be withdrawn when the door sections l2 are closed, as will be seenin Figure 4.

In addition to this novel, thoroughly safe and very convenientsectionalized screen, the fixture frame also carries a pair of doorclosures I1 hinged to the face of the posts 6 at their outer edges. Theyextend the full height of the open frame and are designed when closed tocompletely cover and effectively seal the fireplace opening 3. Each ofthe door closures I'l is formed of two hingedly connected sections orpanels Ila and Hb, the former being narrower and at the outside andhinged to the frame posts and the latter being the inner ones, designedto meet and be fastened together when the doors are closed and whenopened to overlie the outer narrow doors, in shutter or accordion style,their added width enabling them to cover also the frame posts 6 for thewidth thereof. The door sections Vla and Hb being reversely hinged toallow them to fold back conveniently and compactly out of the wayagainst the replace, are also permitted by their doubling action toswing past inside the ball-topped adjusting bolts 9, as seen in dottedline on the right side of Figure 3. These door panels may be of anysuitable material, brass, copper plate, chromium and heat resistingarmoured glass being among the most desirable. In closed position, thedoors will preferably nest under the over-hanging forward edge of thehood 2 and fit closely to the base plate 5 thus to effectively reduce oreliminate the usual lireplace drafts and resultant heat losses.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be manifest that a replace front is provided that willfuliil all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as manychanges could be made in the above description and many apparentlywidely different embodiments or" the invention may be constructed withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit orscope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the saidaccompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A fireplace fixture for application to the front face of a fire placecomprising a frame outlining a fireplace opening and a sectionalized nre,t screen therefor, said screen consisting of a pair bottom thereof, anelongated screen section positioned in said channels with the upper edgethereof being spaced below' and olset forwardly relative to the loweredge of said gate sections whereby said elongated section may be movedvertically and removed from said channels.

2. A fireplace fixture for application to the front face of a fire placecomprising a frame outlining a fireplace and a sectionalized fire screentherefor, said frame including a base plate and opposite side posts,said screen consisting of a pair of half gate sections hinged to saidside posts with the lower edge of said gate sections lying at a levelsubstantially above the bottom place of said frame, vertically andoutwardly extending channels on the side posts of said frame adjacentthe lower ends thereof, an elongated screen section positioned in saidchannels with the upper edge thereof being spaced below and offsetforwardly relative to the lower edge of said gate sections whereby saidelongated section may be moved vertically and removed from saidchannels, and plumb adjusting bolts threaded through said base plate foradjusting said frame in said nre place.

CLIFFORD CLAYTON HELWIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,740,486 Wheelock Dec. 24, 19291,776,833 Huckler Sept, 30, 1930 2,591,278 Hughes Mar. 21, 1950 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 400,729 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1933

